Bag construction



Aug. 22, 1967 E. A. FRIDUSS BAG CONSTRUCTION Filed Nov. 26, 1965 I N VEN TOR.

ATTORNEY United States Patent 3,337,118 BAG CONSTRUCTION Edwin A. Friduss, 5038 Briarbend Drive, Houston, Tex. 77035 Filed Nov. 26, 1965, Ser. No. 509,898 4 Claims. (Cl. 229-66) This invention relates to bags and more particularly to bag constructions employing unravelable stitch-type closures.

US. Patent No. 2,978,164 describes a form of bag closure of the general type with which this invention is concerned, namely, a bag having one end closed by a line of stitching of the single thread type, which is readily unravelable by pull applied to one end of the thread forming the stitch. The aforesaid patent also discloses the use of a tape member adhesively secured to the bag and over the f-ree'end of the stitching, so that by pulling the tape away from the bag, the stitching also will be pulled loose progressively across the end of the bag, opening the bag. This type of closure has proven very useful in many instances. However, in packaging many materials, particularly food products such as sausage and the like, in bags employing the patented-type closure, it is found that merely opening the end of the bag by pulling the tape and the thread end does not provide an opening sufiicie'ntly large and convenient to enable ready removal of the contents.

Accordingly, it is a primary object of this invention to provide an improvement in bag constructions of the general type disclosed in the aforesaid patent whereby not only is the end of the bag opened by pulling the tape, adhesively applied over the stitching, but also the bag will be opened along a longitudinal seam by the same pulling motion employed to open the stitched closure.

It is an important object of this invention to provide a bag construction having a longitudinal seam formed by overlapping marginal portions of the bag material which are adhesively secured to each other, so as to be separable by pull applied to the overlying one of said portions, and provided with a line of stitching extending across one end of the bag, including the seam, the bag being provided with means, such as a pull tape, adhesively secured over one end of the stitching and extending transversely across the longitudinal seam so that when a pull is applied to the end of the thread forming the stitching to unravel the latter, the same pull will extend progressively across the longitudinal seam and be operative to pull the overlying portion or lap away from the underlying portion of the seam to thereby open the bag longitudinally, as well as transversely of the stitched end by the same pull.

Other and more specific objects and advantages of this invention will become more readily apparent from the following detailed description when read in conjunction with the accompanying drawing which illustrates one embodiment in accordance with this invention.

In the drawing:

FIG. 1 is a view, in perspective, of one end of a bag constructed in accordance with this invention, showing the end thereof in partially opened condition;

FIG. 2 is a cross-sectional view taken generally along line 22 of FIG. 1, showing the closure in the partly opened condition; and

FIG. 3 is a view similar to FIG. 2, showing the bag in its fully closed condition.

Referring to the drawing, a bag e'nd, designated generally by the numeral 5, is formed with a longitudinal seam, designated generally by the numeral 6, and having a stitched end closure, designated generally by the numeral 7. Bag 5 may be constructed of any suitable material, such as fabric made from natural or synthetic yarns, plastic "ice films or metal foils, and may be of single layer or laminated construction in accordance with any of the many known bag constructions.

For purposes of this description, bag 5 may be constructed of an outer layer of a cotton cloth 10 and inner liner or lamination 11, which may be a plastic film commonly used as a liner for bags for packaging food products, and which is adhered to the inner surface of the cloth outer layer 10. Seam 6, as illustrated, is formed by overlapping upper and lower marginal portions 12 and 13 of the composite bag material. By this arrangement, the under surface of liner 11 will overlie the outer surface of portion 13. Liner 11 is preferably of the heat-scalable type so that when the marginal portions are overlapped to form the seam, then by application of heat in the well-known manner, overlying portion 12 will be effectively adhesively secured, as indicated at 20, to underlying portion 13 of the seam but may be pulled away from the latter by a pull of sufficient force, so as to separate the overlapping portions and permit longitudinal opening of the seam, as illustrated particularly in FIGS. 1 and 2.

The bag is provided across one end, as shown, by the stitched closure 7 comprising the transverse line of stitching 14 of the conventional single thread type, which is driven through the walls of the bag across seam 6 in order to secure the walls to each other adjacent the end of the bag. A pull tape 15, constructed of a flexible fabric or plastic material and coated on its underside with .a suitable pressure-sensitive adhesive 16, is laid over the line of stitching 14 beginning near the side edge of the bag at which the free end stitch is located, and is extended along and over the line of stitching to a point across and beyond upper layer 12 of the longitudinal seam. The tape is extended laterally outwardly from the side edge of the bag to form a tab which may be grasped for purpose of pulling the tape away from the bag surface. The tape being substantially wider than the line of stitching, forms a relatively wide band adhesively secured to and extending across the surface of the bag or the seam, which will serve both to hold the stitching against unraveling and the longitudinal seam in its sealed condition.

With the bag end closed, as best seen in FIG. 3, the bag may be opened by pulling upwardly on tab 17 in a direction to pull the tape away from the bag surface, as seen in FIGS. 1 and 2. This serves to pull the threads of the stitch out of the bag walls progressively across the end of the bag to the overlying portion 12 of the bag seam, which will then be pulled away from underlying portion 13 by overcoming the adhesive force initially securing the seam layers to one another. As the tape continues to be pulled away from the bag surface, seam 6 will be opened for a considerable portion of its length; beginning with the end adjacent the end of the bag, thereby enabling the person opening the bag to pull the seam open throughout its length, if so desired, in order to gain full access to the contents of the bag.

By the described construction, it will be seen that there is provided a bag construction, including a closure for at least one end thereof, which can be readily opened by an adhesive tape which will serve not only to open the bag across one end, but also longitudinally thereof, all with one simple pulling motion applied to the tab on the free end of the tape.

The means by which the overlapping marginal portions of the bag materials are secured to one another may be by simple heat-sealing in the case of a type of material which lends itself thereto. Thus the adhesivefmay be the lamination itself, or may be a separate type of adhesive disposed between the overlapping portions to initially secure them to one another. Generally speaking, therefore, the scam may be described as constituting overlapping marginal portions of the bag material which are adhesively secured to one another and separable by pull applied to the overlying lap forming the scam in a direction to pull it away from the underlying lap portion.

As all of the various bag materials and combinations thereof, as well as the numerous adhesive materials, both of the heat-sealing and pressure sensitive types, are wellknown, none of these, individually, form any part of this invention, except in the combinations employed as described herein.

In the case of bags employed particularly for packaging food products, the bag, whether of the single layer or laminated type, will usually also have a paper or other type liner, which is not necessarily adhered to the inside of the bag, but serves as a protective enclosure for the food products.

It will be understood that this invention is directed to lined bags of this type, as well as others of the types previously described.

It will be under-stood that various changes and modifications maybe made in the details of the illustrative embodiment within the scope of the appended claims but without departing from the spirit of the invention.

What I claim and desire to secure by Letters Patent is:

1. A bag having a longitudinal seam formed by overlapping marginal portions of the bag material adhesively secured to each other and separable by a pull applied to the overlying one of said portions adjacent one end of said seam, said bag having .at least one end closure constituted by a line of stitching driven through the walls of said bag across said seam and securing together the walls adjacent said one end of the bag, said stitching being of the single thread type readily unravelable by pulling the thread from one end of the stitching, and means releasably secured by adhesive to the bag over said one end of the stitching and extending over and across said overlying portion of said seam and adapted to be grasped and pulled away from the bag, whereby to unravel said thread from said one end progressively across said seam and to pull said overlying portion away from the underlying portion of the seam to thereby open said bag across said one end and longitudinally thereof by the same pull on said means.

2. A bag according to claim 1 wherein said means is a strip of flexible tape having a coating of pressure-sensitive adhesive on the surface thereof disposed against the bag.

3. A bag according to claim 1 wherein the bag material is of laminated construction comprising a fabric outer layer and an inner plastic layer having heat-seal-able properties.

4. A bag according to claim 2 wherein said tape has a free end projecting beyond the side edge of the bag adjacent said one end of the stitching to form a pull tab for said tape.

References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 2,945,615 7/1960 Swanson 229-66 3,030,003 4/1962 Schanzle 229-66 3,100,596 8/1963 Williams et a1 22966 3,228,585 1/1966 Fleming 229-66 FOREIGN PATENTS 481,328 2/1952 Canada.

JOSEPH R. LECLAIR, Primary Examiner.

R. PESHOCK, Assistant Examiner.

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE CERTIFICATE OF CORRECTION Patent No. 3,337,118 August 22, 1967 Edwin A. Priduss It is hereby certified that error appears in the above numbered patent requiring correction and that the said Letters Patent should read as corrected below.

In the heading to thecprinted specification, lines 3 and 4, for "Edwin A. Friduss, 5038 Briarbend Drive, Houston, Tex. 77035" read Edwin A. Friduss, Houston, Tex. assignor to Standard Bag Company, Houston, Tex., a corporation of Texas Signed and sealed this 11th day of June 1968.

(SEAL) Attest:

EDWARD J. BRENNER Commissioner of Patents Edward M. Fletcher, Jr.

Attesting Officer 

1. A BAG HAVING A LONGITUDINAL SEAM FORMED BY OVERLAPPING MARGINAL PORTIONS OF THE BAG MATERIAL ADHESIVELY SECURED TO EACH OTHER AND SEPARABLE BY A PULL APPLIED TO THE OVERLYING ONE OF SAID PORTIONS ADJACENT ONE END OF SAID SEAM, SAID BAG HAVING AT LEAST ONE END CLOSURE CONSTITUTED BY A LINE OF STITCHING DRIVEN THROUGH THE WALLS OF SAID BAG ACROSS SAID SEAM AND SECURING TOGETHER THE WALLS ADJACENT SAID ONE END OF THE BAG, SAID STITCHING BEING OF THE SINGLE THREAD TYPE READILY UNRAVELABLE BY PULLING THE THREAD FROM ONE END OF THE STITCHING, AND MEANS RELEASABLY SECURED BY ADHESIVE TO THE BAG OVER SAID ONE END OF THE STITCHING AND EXTENDING OVER AND ACROSS SAID OVERLYING PORTION OF SAID SEAM AND ADAPTED TO BE GRASPED AND PULLED AWAY FROM THE BAG, WHEREBY TO UNRAVEL SAID THREAD FROM SAID ONE END PROGRESSIVELY ACROSS SAID SEAM AND TO PULL SAID OVERLYING PORTION AWAY FROM THE UNDERLYING PORTION OF THE SEAM TO THEREBY OPEN SAID BAG ACROSS SAID ONE END AND LONGITUDINALLY THEREOF BY THE SAME PULL ON SAID MEANS. 